3 - Diana, Malphite
She could find the circles hidden within every settlement, no matter how closely they overlapped or how deeply they had entrenched themselves in the society.
Naming the organization a league implied a partnership of equals from varying backgrounds with respect given to the members' pasts. However, upon entry, she quickly grasped how the Institute of War did not differ much at all from the typical civilization. All of the beings with whom she fought, whether they be human, yordle, alien, or uniquely intelligent life form, differentiated themselves into groups all according to their allegiances, beliefs, origins, or any other reason which could bind them together.
The only people who could not find a way to relate to others using one criterion or another were the ones who could not even find themselves. She had believed the Institute the final avenue towards recreating her identity, the ultimate answer she needed to justify the creed by which she swore, but instead upon stepping onto its grounds she found her hands as empty as a night sky without stars, holding nothing but the unsubstantial feeling of isolation.
Even the self-proclaimed exile clung to an idealistic vision of her country which she one day hoped to achieve, despite its current political environment spiraling off in the completely opposite direction. Even the outcast who could not forgive himself wandered with a clear goal in mind and the constant reminder of the family whom he had both killed and swore to avenge. But she cannot call any place on Runeterra her country, nor any person on the planet her family. She might have had such things in her past, if she regressed to the flawed perspective she used to hold. All of the connections she experienced with the world had shattered along with the chains which tried to restrain her belief.
They were outcasts because people feared what they had already done. She was an outcast because people feared what she had yet to do.
Reading served as the only solace she could look towards, the very interest which prompted her towards her initial questioning, but she did not blame the books for what they pointed her towards. Within each tome she saw only truth, veritable information which vastly trumped the childish fairytales of tradition the Solari had tried to forced down her throat. She would always end up as the last to leave the Institute library, although her dedication would never offend the ancient demigod who served as caretaker of the books. Categorizing the existence of the canine spirit proved a difficult task, but nevertheless he became one of the sole beings whom she tolerated.
She began to think her isolation from humanity had begun to transform her into a natural spirit, as she recognized another metaphysical being drawing near her lonely perch atop the top of the colonnade of the Institute's main building. Whether or not it desired to seek her out in particular, she could not tell, but she waited in anticipation as it slowly paced towards her seat.
"Why are you here?"
For a member of a supposed macrocosmic monolith, it behaves surprisingly bluntly. "I'm reading," she replies with equal bluntness and tries to get back to her literature.
"I know that," it continues, and pauses there. She knows it has more to say, so she waits.
"It is cold."
"I'm warm-blooded," she claims, which is not a complete lie. Her two decades weathering the extreme conditions on Mount Targon have shaped her into a hardy person, more than capable of handling the winds blowing on winter nights in such a temperate region like the center of Valoran.
"You are alone."
"I need no company," she insists, not as powerfully as her previous responses. When she bothers to look up at the rocky being, she catches the stony face curl into a shape remotely resembling a frown. The Shard of the Monolith came from a world residing in perfect order, and it was well attuned to recognizing when something fell out of equilibrium. Realizing that her inner discord was causing its stubborn behavior, she sighs and waits for his response.
"That is untrue."
She tries to decide what annoys her more - the fact that it can see through her tough facade or how it has showed how insightful it was with sentences not exceeding five words. "I am used to being alone."
"You need another."
She sets the book down, leaning against one of the stone pillars wearily. Not only had she abandoned the heritage of her previous life, but as the sole embodiment of the moon's chosen, there no longer existed another person like her, and to her knowledge, no more would ever walk upon the earth.
"But none will come."
A shake of its head, and it begins to corrects her. "Not a person."
She demands to know its meaning, imploring it with desperate eyes. It directs a jagged finger towards the sky, where she beholds her deity in all its glory, a complete sphere set amongst the aether shining its light upon the one believer it still possesses.
"It is enough."
She begins to understand the monolith's point. Belief does not necessitate persuasion, as that would simply lead to the trap of religion from which she had escaped in the first place. If she truly held a sincere fervor for her worship, she should act content with the fact that she had found the freedom to express her beliefs under the protection of the Institute. Whether or not others would come to share her belief was unimportant, and she should let her creed perpetuate her purpose, not the other way around.
"...I don't need followers?"
Receiving philosophical satisfaction from an animated boulder makes her very self-conscious, but her temporary state of weakness does not particularly care about the circumstances. All she awaits now is the next teaching it utters, despite the brief form in which the package comes out.
"Truth is sufficient."
It all makes sense to her now. The ones who have found the answers do not need to share their discovery with the world, staying content with the fact that they have achieved their goal. She realizes she has to thank it for the profound message, but she is also stumped at how it could understand the dynamic between the moon and herself. "How could you understand?'
Malphite looks at her with two solemn shards of eyes.
"Just another rock."
A/N: I was quite pleased with the way Malphite turned out so deep with how few words he actually said. When I imagine his lines in-game I just couldn't write him with long sentences like I typically write my characters, so this time I tried to make dialogue as concise as was possible.
The motif for this chapter was 'light' if anyone is curious so I decided to take a character associated with (moon)light and pair her up with someone you usually don't see in fanfics, and I thought it went pretty well!